Luke 9:24 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” ~ Jesus

Don’t Waste Your Life! 1.How to Waste Your Life!

Don’t Waste Your Life! 1.How to Waste Your Life! 2.Having a vision of God that’s worth living (and dying for)

Don’t Waste Your Life! 1.How to Waste Your Life! 2.Having a vision of God that’s worth living (and dying for) 3.Life is like a cigarette, smoke it to the butt

Don’t Waste Your Life! 1.How to Waste Your Life! 2.Having a vision of God that’s worth living (and dying for) 3.Life is like a cigarette, smoke it to the butt 4.Don’t Waste your Life 9-5

Don’t Waste Your Life! 1.How to Waste Your Life! 2.Having a vision of God that’s worth living (and dying for) 3.Life is like a cigarette, smoke it to the butt 4.Don’t Waste your Life Seeking the welfare of the city

Investing in the Kingdom

The Church and Money

1.Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined is a bunch of BS.

The Church and Money 1.Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined is a bunch of BS. 2.In Isaiah 55:1 God says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” So, how can it be that God invites me to come to him without money, but the church invites me to come and then asks me for my money?

The Church and Money 1.Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined is a bunch of BS. 2.In Isaiah 55:1 God says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” So, how can it be that God invites me to come to him without money, but the church invites me to come and then asks me for my money? 3.Some churches will say, “It doesn’t matter where you give. You don’t have to give here. Just give.” Yet, that seems disingenuous since the people saying that would be out of a job if everyone followed that instruction.

The Church and Money 4.Who stands in the best position to benefit from a message on giving? The messenger! As much as the pastor says this is just between me and God I can’t help but feel that the pastor is trying all he can to take my money from me. Whenever the pastor talks about money, at the end of the day I feel like I’ve heard about the needs of the pastor and not the heart of God.

The Church and Money 4.Who stands in the best position to benefit from a message on giving? The messenger! As much as the pastor says this is just between me and God I can’t help but feel that the pastor is trying all he can to take my money from me. Whenever the pastor talks about money, at the end of the day I feel like I’ve heard about the needs of the pastor and not the heart of God. 5.Speaking about the heart of God - the sermon should be first and foremost about God. Yet, when the sermon is about money it seems like God is nowhere to be found. Someone may even ask me, “What was the sermon about?” My answer: “Money.” Where is God?

The Church and Money 6.Fine. You want to talk about my money. My money is called “Earnings”. I earned it. It’s mine. Why do churches say, “it’s all God’s money”?

The Church and Money 6.Fine. You want to talk about my money. My money is called “Earnings”. I earned it. It’s mine. Why do churches say, “it’s all God’s money”? Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

The Church and Money 6.Fine. You want to talk about my money. My money is called “Earnings”. I earned it. It’s mine. Why do churches say, “it’s all God’s money”? 7.What do I get in return for giving money to the church? It doesn’t result in me receiving anything. When I give that same amount of money to Best Buy they give me something. What does giving my money to the church get me?

The Church and Money 6.Fine. You want to talk about my money. My money is called “Earnings”. I earned it. It’s mine. Why do churches say, “it’s all God’s money”? 7.What do I get in return for giving money to the church? It doesn’t result in me receiving anything. When I give that same amount of money to Best Buy they give me something. What does giving my money to the church get me? 8.How does money possibly relate to my spiritual life? It seems much easier to ask how much time I spend praying or spend serving at the church or how much I know about my Bible. How could the amount of money I give possibly be an indicator of my spiritual condition?

The Church and Money My Trip to Atlanta

The Church and Money My Trip to Atlanta

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes.

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes. The Wealth Conundrum

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes. The Wealth Conundrum The Treasure Principle - Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes. The Wealth Conundrum The Treasure Principle - Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving Living with the Benjamin’s

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes. The Wealth Conundrum The Treasure Principle - Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving Living with the Benjamin’s LO$T

The Church and Money 9.Matters involving Money and Wealth are primarily seen with Western eyes rather than biblical eyes. The Wealth Conundrum The Treasure Principle - Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving Living with the Benjamin’s LO$T “Giving is the only antidote to materialism.”

The story of Alfred

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! 1 Timothy 6: Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! 1 Timothy 6: Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! 1 Timothy 6: Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! Materialism (def.): Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns.

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! Materialism (def.): Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! Materialism (def.): Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Do you see in your own life an excessive regard for worldy concerns?

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! Materialism (def.): Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Do you see in your own life an excessive regard for worldy concerns? Do you despise that “constant concerning” in you over material possessions?

Giving is NOT the antidote to materialism! Materialism (def.): Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:25, 32 “Don’t be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on…for [those who don’t believe in God] seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

“Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.” John Wesley, pastor theologian

The ONLY antidote to materialism is life in Christ!

Life in Christ is the antidote to materialism! 1 Timothy 6: But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Life in Christ is the antidote to materialism! 1 Timothy 6: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

God loves a cheerful giver because God is a cheerful giver. Hebrews 12:1-2 “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…”

God loves a cheerful giver because God is a cheerful giver when the sacrifice is GREAT! Hebrews 12:1-2 “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…”

God leads by example 1 Timothy 6:13 “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things,…” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” Romans 8:32 “He did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all…” Romans 5:5 “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Luke 9:24 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” ~ Jesus

What does it look like for a church to give like this?

2 Corinthians 8:1-9 1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints - 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you - see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.